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New Playground Is Open In Ewa Beach

Keiki in the Ewa Beach community can look forward to a new playground at Ewa Beach Community Park on North Road — all thanks to the Ewa Beach Community Based Development Organization (EBCB- DO), a new nonprofit that focuses on improving the quality of life for its residents.

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Children play on a climbing structure, known as The Explorer Dome, at the new Ewa Beach playground. Photos by Mona-Lisa Shuptrine.

A dedication ceremony and blessing was held Sept. 22 to recognize those who made it all possible. EBCBDO applied for and received a $90,000 grant from the city to build a new playground, as the old equipment was designated unsafe by the city and was removed in September 2011.

“We saw that there was a need,” explained EBCBDO president Christiane Bolosan-Yee. “So we looked for funding to replace the old playground.”

The Explorer Dome, designed for children ages 2- 12, is the highlight of the new playground — a 14- foot-high climbing structure built by Kompan, a company that specializes in playground equipment.

Besides being a fun new addition, the Explorer Dome meets all guidelines and standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, American for Testing and Materials, and American Disabilities Act. So, parents can rest assured that the new equipment is safe.

“The playground is very unique,” Bolosan-Yee explained. “It’s the first in the state. There’s noth- ing like it anywhere else. This Explorer Dome is very different.”

Because of the limited funding, project completion required community volunteers, organizations, unions and companies to work together to better the Ewa Beach community.

That’s where EBCBDO stepped in. The nonprofit took the role of gathering money and volunteers to help remove old asphalt and concrete and build the large surfacing area that underlies the playground.

“When everybody came out, it was such an outpour, it was overwhelming,” Bolosan-Yee said. “We felt really grateful for everyone’s willingness to be a part of our project.”

Organizations that took part in the project include Ameron, the city departments of Community Service, Design and Construction, and Parks and Recreation; David’s Fencing, Dura Constructors, Endo Electric, Ewa Beach Crush Youth Football League and com- munity volunteer Larry Toro; Gentry Homes, Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters, JDS Construction, Masons Union Local 630, Operating Engineers Local 3, Paradigm Construction, Pineridge Farms, South Pacific Steel and West Oahu Aggregate.

EBCBDO was incorporated in 2009, but did not become active until 2011.

Within the past year, however, besides orchestrating and implementing plans for the new play- ground, the organization has been offering micro-enterprise (small business training) for entrepreneurs in the community.

The nonprofit is looking for new board members. Those interested can email info@ewabeachcbdo.org or visit ewabeachcbdo.org for more information.

And thanks to EBCBDO and those in the community, keiki now have a safe place to play.